The South Korea Guide

Boryeong Mud Festival 2026: Dates, Location and What to Expect

· 2 min read Travel News
Daecheon Beach, Boryeong, South Korea

Contents

  1. What the Festival Involves
  2. Getting There
  3. Practical Notes

The Boryeong Mud Festival (보령 머드 축제) runs from 24 July to 9 August 2026 on Daecheon Beach in Boryeong, Chungcheongnam-do Province. Now in its third decade, it is one of South Korea’s most internationally recognised summer events and draws both domestic visitors and a large number of foreign travellers each year.

What the Festival Involves

The mud used at the festival is sourced from the Boryeong tidal flats and has been marketed since the 1990s for its skin-conditioning mineral content. The programme centres on:

Mud Zone: Large inflatable mud slides, mud pools, mud wrestling areas, and a “mud prison” where participants can be dunked. Entry to the dedicated mud zone requires a wristband purchased on site.

Beach Activities: Volleyball, tug-of-war, and other games take place on the sand outside the mud zone and are free to join.

Evening Programme: Concerts and performances are held on the beach stage most evenings. Fireworks close the festival on the final night (9 August).

The festival runs from mid-morning until around 10pm daily. It is busiest on weekends, particularly the opening weekend (24–27 July).

Getting There

Boryeong is approximately 130 kilometres south of Seoul and is accessible by express bus from Seoul’s Express Bus Terminal (Gangnam) in roughly two hours. Direct buses to Boryeong Bus Terminal run throughout the day; from the terminal, local buses and taxis cover the last few kilometres to Daecheon Beach.

There is no direct KTX rail service to Boryeong. The closest KTX station is Cheonan-Asan, which then requires a bus connection.

Practical Notes

Accommodation in Boryeong fills quickly for the festival opening weekend. Book well in advance if you are planning to stay overnight; Cheonan (about 50km away) offers more options with a reasonable bus connection.

The mud is water-soluble and washes off easily with a shower, but pack a change of clothes in a waterproof bag.

Our South Korea things to do guide covers other summer events across the country, and our practical travel guide has transport options and day-trip logistics from Seoul.